Malkangiri: A three-month-old girl was rendered critical after she was branded by a quack 19 times on her abdomen at Uskapalli village under Kalimela police limits in Malkangiri district.
Sources said, the baby was taken by Muka Sodhi, her father and Buduri Sodhi, her mother, to a quack as she experienced acute pain in her stomach.
The quack, Budha, promised them he would heal her illness. Later, the quack advised them to brand the baby. Her parents agreed with the quack and permitted him to brand their baby. Later, the quack branded the infant with a hot iron on her abdomen 19 times. Parents said, the baby was crying helplessly during branding. But her condition worsened when she came back home.
The matter came to the fore when the baby was admitted to Kalimela health centre and later shifted to Malkangiri district headquarters hospital as her condition worsened.
A month back, the baby had been branded by a quack, but she did not show any improvement. She was again branded 19 times, added her mother.
Dr Santosh Mishra of Malkangiri district headquarters said the baby is suffering from pneumonia.
The baby is under observation for 12 hours and her condition is critical, sources said.
Malkangiri is home to many Bengalis and tribals. Even though branding is practiced in Malkangiri over generations, Bengalis do not follow that. However, tribals believe that branding has a lot of benefits.
Lots of funds are spent to raise awareness against such terrible practices, but it has been rather ineffective. PNN
